MapleStory: Into Madness
by diosoth
Summary: Athena Pierce is pulled from her home in Henesys to a strange realm known as the Shivering Isles when Sheogorath seeks out lands beyond Oblivion. Her only hope of returning home is to perform some mundane little errand for the Madgod.


Author's notes:

This takes place shortly after the events of Daggerfall, roughly. Despite  
that, Sheogorath speaks as he did in Oblivion. I wasn't even going to  
attempt his style of speech from Daggerfall.

* * *

20 years before the "Big Bang"...

Locking the wooden door, another day at an end as the small town of  
Henesys quieted for the day as the sun went down, Athena Pierce  
gathered the remnants of spent arrows out of round straw targets.  
Any that could be reused would be set aside, and those that were  
damaged would be taken apart, their intact pieces used to make new  
arrows.

The large main room was the Bowman School, a public area where the  
elf greeted new students. In the back and up the stairs of the old  
house built on a tree, her home waited. It had been far too long  
since Athena had seen her own people... were the still frozen away?  
Elluel no doubt existed, untouched; Mercedes and the elders had sealed  
her village, out of time. Yet that fateful, harsh curse had not  
worn off even after these years. Hundreds of years, soon to be a  
millennium since Athena Pierce had known her own kind. If only her  
father had survived, but the Black Mage's loyal minions saw to his  
demise and Danika, Athena's sister, left frozen. Slumping down into  
an old, worn chair, the elf sighed. The fairies were no substitute,  
far too selfish and proud of themselves to consider humans as equals.  
She was barely their equal either, after all, elves had no wings and  
regardless of any shared heritage, that was not good enough for  
the winged ones.

A loud wind shook the walls like a forceful burst slamming her old  
home. Startled, stunned yet suddenly alert as her heart began to pound,  
the sandy-haired old elf grabbed the nearest bow, only to faintly  
notice the blue glow within the forest on the edge of town.

'The Black Mage...?' she wondered, rushing outside and into the  
darkness. The blue glow only intensified deep within the leaves,  
emanating from a stone archway that had not been there prior, nor did  
it seem to belong- not here, not even in this world. Gnarled gray  
stone speckled in dark, sickly green that matched no known style or  
civilization that she had ever witnessed or read of.

A sudden voice, powerful and forceful, called out from within, "Do  
come in! It would be a shame for me to go through the trouble to open  
this and for you to stand there like a stone slab! Not to mention,  
making me very, VERY irritated... but do hurry, I am not patient!  
WELL? Make up your mind!"

Athena's first thoughts were of the Black Mage. Even behind the  
seal placed by the five heroes, his influence and power were great.  
But why had nothing come out? The situation seemed too bizarre for its  
own good and going into this glowing gate felt like a very bad idea,  
but the town may have been in danger. Channeling soul arrow, ready  
for a fight, the warrior stepped inside...

... and stepped out onto a stone walkway leading to a large building,  
the face of which tapered in a sharp point. An unusual blue sky  
hovered above, an almost unnatural sight. Taken aback by this strange  
place she failed to notice the man in black until he said, "ah,  
someone answered my Lord's call. If you will come with me..."

"Wait," she replied, "where am I?" Giving the man a glare that failed  
to register an emotion in the man's face, also asked, "and who are  
you?"

without a change in tone, the stranger answered in an almost bored  
tone of voice, "I am Haskill, I serve Lord Sheogorath and you are  
in the Shivering Isles. Though I suppose expecting you to know any of  
this would be an unreasonable assumption." Giving the woman a glance,  
he asked of her, "perhaps. I trust my Lord was successful? I can not  
tell which of the races you are."

"Races?"

"You do not appear to be one of the elves of Mundus," he stated.  
"Please, follow me, my Lord shall explain further. And do mind  
your manners, my Lord can be a bit... temperamental," the stranger said  
with what sounded like a sigh of annoyance. Suddenly, without warning  
beyond a sudden silence, the stone arch behind her vanished. "If you  
wish to return home, I would suggest you meet with my Lord."

Now annoyed at the situation, Athena Pierce was left with no  
alternative but to meet this person and hope he would allow her  
to return home. Following behind the man who had greeted her, past two  
female guards and into the massive palace, Haskill led her to the  
throne where a man in a green vest leaned on a cane.

"A newcomer!" the man shouted. "At least, I hope so... and you're an  
elf. How boring..." With a sigh, the man sat down. "I was hoping you  
might be covered in vines, or red, or have several sets of eyes.  
We have plenty of elves already!"

The man looked somewhat like Chief Stan, the Henesys village  
chieftain, with a thick brown tuft of facial hair. In fact, this man  
looked almost normal, except for the demonic, almost feline eyes.  
Then the bowmaster examined the man's old wooden cane and she felt a  
sudden sense of fear, for the man's cane was topped with an enlarged,  
bloody eye.

"Who are you and why did you open that gateway in my town?" she  
demanded.

A death gaze fixed on the woman. "Watch your tone, mortal. I'll give  
you some rope, seeing as you're not native to this plane. But watch  
you don't hang yourself with it..." Smiling once again, he went on,  
"I am Sheogorath, Daedric Prince of madness. You're in my realm of  
Oblivion."

Shocked, the archer asked, "oblivion? You mean I'm in the cursed  
path of time?"

"Cursed? HA!" Relaxing now, the Daedra muttered, "this is why I  
opened that portal. Took me forever... and a lot of failure. I was  
curious about other realms, ones outside of Oblivion. I wanted to know  
if it was possible! And it is! But you're no different from the  
mortals here now. What a disappointment! Ah well, I suppose since  
you're here... I take it from the weapon you carry, you're an  
adventurer? or is that some sort of good luck charm where you come  
from?"

Athena could tell that whatever game this madman had planned, she'd  
have to go along. "If I do as you wish, you'll allow me to return  
home?"

"I suppose," Sheogorath replied, "you noticed I closed the portal.  
Didn't want you running off, and I do have a bit of a problem you may  
be able to take care of, that is assuming that weapon if yours has any  
skill backing it up and it really isn't a good luck charm!" His face  
turning angry now, "one of my loyal servants has betrayed me and  
broken the rules. You will find and kill her as punishment! Kill her,  
torture her, however you see fit to take care of the matter!"

"I can't kill someone because you want me to," she protested,  
upholding basic morals over a desire to be sent back.

Grinning, the Madgod explained, "oh, but you'll want to. One of my  
Dark Seducers was recently summoned to the mortal realm... and did  
horrible things to children. I want her punished. After all, there are  
rules to madness and NO ONE breaks MY rules! You may get the details  
from Haskill, he's quite useful, I don't know what I'd do without  
him. Oh, and here, take this..."

Feeling something hard in her right hand, the elf looked down to find  
a long metal pole. "What is this?"

"The Wabbajack! It'll perhaps come in useful. Or not. I want it back  
before you leave. That's assuming you succeed! If not I suppose I can  
use your corpse as a decorative ornament of some sort, string your  
intestines from the ceiling... you do have intestines, don't you?  
Now go, and do this one simple task and I'll send you back to your  
boring little world!" Cracking a smile, the god ended with, "Fail and  
I'll find out for sure if you have intestines...

Athena Pierce didn't trust the man and for all she even knew, she was  
stuck in another dimension at the whim of a being that was quite  
disturbed, tasked with doing someone else's work. But the idea that  
the one who must be hunted may have harmed children lit a fire in  
her mind. "Haskill..."

"Ah, my Lord has tasked you with hunting the rogue. I suppose you'll  
want me to give you the details? Very well..." He began to recall,  
"Some weeks ago, one of the Dark Seducer guards was summoned to  
Mundus and remained there. She chose to pass the time by playing with  
a small group of children. However, before returning here, it seems  
she chose to murder most of them and disfigured the remaining  
survivor. It was quite strange, actually... typically the Dark  
Seducers have quite a tolerance of mortals.

"Pardon me, I suppose you'd have no idea what I'm even talking about.  
The Golden Saints and Dark Seducers are Lord Sheogorath's personal  
guards and soldiers of this land. The Golden Saints serve the side of  
Mania and the Dark Seducers serve the side of Dementia. Perhaps you  
noticed them when we entered the palace?"

"You mean the two female guards? The golden and purple ones?"

"Quite."

Securing her bow and slipping the old metal rod into her belt, the  
ranger inquired, "and how do I find this killer of children?"

"That," Haskill answered as his eyes looked away, "may be difficult.  
It seems both the Dark Seducers and the Golden Saints have had no  
luck. Wherever the one who has angered my Lord has gone, she is well  
hidden, though no doubt still in the Shivering isles. You may want to  
check with the commander of the Dark Seducers, she would be able to  
tell you more."

As if summoned, a powerful-looking woman in old black armor  
approached. The armor was as worn and aged as the old palace she stood  
in. "I understand that my Lord has requested you assist us in our  
search for the traitor?"

'Requested,' Athena thought to herself, 'hardly.' "Tell me what  
you know."

"It is unlikely that she would have hidden in the land of Mania,  
our rivals, the Golden Saints would have hunted her down. We have  
checked many of the root tunnels and ruins but have found no sign."

"Then the woman you're after may not be here?"

The Seducer commander replied, "It is unlikely that she could have  
opened a gateway herself, and even if a mortal had summoned one of us,  
it would have been brief."

Athena asked, "how do you know she is even still alive?"

"You are from another land, or you would know more about the Daedra,"  
the woman answered with an odd smile. "I never thought it was even  
possible, to find a realm outside of Oblivion's borders. Only a  
Daedric Prince may genuinely kill a Daedra. Our bodies are merely  
vessels. Upon death we return to the waters of Oblivion where we  
are reborn. I have sent three of our kind into the waters of  
Oblivion to wait for her, to force her back so that Lord Sheogorath  
may punish the traitor. They have not returned."

Athena found the Seducer's manner of speaking to be almost robotic  
and formal to a point that made even her own people feel casual. In  
fact, she wondered if these Daedra were even capable of social  
behavior at all. "You are aware that I will have no easier time  
finding this killer of children than-"

"Grakedrig! Grakedrig!" came the sudden shouts. Another Dark Seducer,  
almost a carbon copy of the one Athena Pierce had been talking with,  
ran into the man palace hall. "Fellmoor has been attacked!"

"I'm sorry for this interruption," the Seducer apologized, "I must  
tend to this." Turning to the subordinate, she said, "organize  
a party and we shall-"

"I'm afraid it was the traitor, she assaulted three of the residents.  
Autkendo Jansa sent me to inform you while they attempt to find out  
where the traitor has gone."

"I see..." turning to Athena, the Seducer stated, "you should follow  
me."

* * *

It took several hours to walk to the small town, a hovel of old  
rotting homes and unique plant life, filthy water everywhere amidst  
twisted trees.

The old elf noted that this world has no technology. Even horses  
seemed absent, leaving foot travel the only means of transportation  
along an old worn road that winded through this miserable land,  
occasionally split up by rickety bridges that needed repair,  
past old huts and shacks that had fallen apart years before. Nowhere  
in the Maple World was as decrepit as this place.

The small village could have been mistaken for an abandoned town,  
if not for the small assembly of guards and a few residents, many of  
which were in bandages, mourning over a deceased old man.

These guards. They all looked the same. The old bowmaster wondered if  
perhaps these beings had been created artificially. They looked  
almost human, and she suspected their clothing was as much for modesty  
as for decoration, but every one of them was identical- the same  
height, matching skin tones, matching voices and even the same manner  
of speaking. Indeed, they were more like machines than living  
people.

"I have been informed that Lord Sheogorath has tasked you with hunting  
the traitor," one of the Seducers greeted Athena. "It is not my place  
to question my Lord's wishes, however, I was also told that you are  
an outsider."

"I am not from your world, no," the elf responded. "I know nothing of  
your land or your ways. I know that the one you're hunting is a  
murderer, and I may not return home until after I have done my job."

The Dark Seducer commander took notice of the large blue bow strapped  
to Athena's back. "You have no arrows. I shall provide you with  
some."

Grabbing the weapon and concentrating, the Ranger brought forth an  
inner power, lighting her surroundings. Her weapon began to glow.  
"That will not be necessary."

"You appear to have the ability to bound arrows to yourself... perhaps  
my Lord's faith in you is well placed. We have been unable to follow  
the betrayer as the wounded needed our attention, however," pointing  
away from the run-down village, "she was seen heading north."

"That was several hours ago."

Nodding, the Seducer went on, "but she would not have traveled the  
roads. Most likely she is hiding in a cave or one of the old ruins.  
Furthermore, one of the villagers managed to wound her, so it is  
unlikely she has gone far. Knotty Bramble is the nearest cave, I will  
order one of my Mazken to accompany you. I shall send search parties  
to Xavara and Blackroot Lair, the only other locations within  
proximity. If you find the traitor, kill her on sight."

Eyes shut tight, the elf shuddered. "I was told this woman murdered  
children. And now I see an old man lies dead by her hands." This type  
of evil felt familiar. Senseless murder was the way of the Black Mage,  
centuries before, in a time when her own world was just as primitive  
as this land.

"At first we believed she had simply gone insane. Lord Sheogorath does  
not allow children to live here," the Autkendo explained, "and  
most of us are unfamiliar with them. But after this I believe  
she may have turned from Lord Sheogorath, perhaps to another Daedric  
Prince. Not all Mazken follow Lord Sheogorath, only those of us  
in the Shivering Isles. Many of our kind served Mehrunes Dagon  
years ago and only recently a Mazken betrayed Malacath."

"Enough," Athena snapped. "You may tell me of your history later.  
I want to find and punish this..."

Autkendo Jansa had been able to recognize when the madness of the  
land began to affect someone who had recently arrived, and somehow,  
deep within, there was a darkness inside this woman. Some residual  
hatred that had been fought but lingered. "Very well. May you  
find and slay the traitor!"

* * *

The root caves of the Shivering Isles were an amazing sight. Roots  
of the larger trees grew hollowed out, forming a natural cave system.  
It was only now, in the dim darkness within that Athena Pierce noticed  
fluttering tiny orbs of light which seemed to offer enough to see by.  
Even the amber deposits within the root walls glowed. Perhaps this  
land had a unique beauty after all.

Stopped dead by her companion, Athena could hear the grunts.  
"Grummites," the Seducer exclaimed. "Be prepared."

Preparation was slim as a horde of stubby reptilian monsters rushed  
them, swinging jagged cleavers and grunting as if they were hungry.  
Barely time to charge her soul arrow, Athena Pierce had to dodge the  
foul creatures, blades ready to tear flesh.

Arrows.

These creatures had archers among them.

The old elf could see her traveling companion fighting back, stubby  
black mace bashing one of these lizards in the skull as it slumped  
with a snort. "The Wabbajack! Lord Sheogorath gave you the Wabbajack,"  
the Mazken screamed out. "Use it!"

Gripping the cold metal pole, she called out, "I don't know how!  
What do I-"

In an instant, energy scattered from the wand's tip, enchanting these  
primitive creatures with a mist that changed every last one into  
a simple sheep, no longer attacking but merely confused. "Come, they  
will not stay like this for long!"

Following behind, the elf asked nervously, "what did I just do?"

"The Wabbajack," her Seducer guide explained, "is one of Lord  
Sheogorath's many gifts to the world. It brings random change to  
whatever it is used on."

"Random change..." Staring back at the sheep, she mumbled, "so we're  
lucky they turned into sheep..."

"Indeed. They could have become something much worse, but it seemed we  
had little choice. We should move on and explore this-"

Athena witnessed the flash, the movement, and the clean cut. She  
witnessed in horror and disbelief as the Dark Seducer's own head  
hit the dirty ground, body falling on top in a lifeless pile as  
blood soaked the wooden root tunnels. Standing with an evil smile  
was another of the Mazken. "This is what Sheogorath sent to find  
me? A mere soldier and a mortal? At least it was not one of the  
men... that would have been insulting."

There was no time for shock or even mourning. Letting anger take  
over, the elf summoned soul arrow and began firing darts of pure  
light. One by one they bounced off the killer's shield. "I was sent  
to kill you and I will enjoy watching you die, murderer!"  
Strafe. That was the skill. It was so hard to think through the  
haze of anger and hate, but strafe came to mind and now four arrows  
shot forth with each pull of the string. Slamming the old black shield  
over and over, arrow after arrow finally broke the curved piece of  
armor as bolts of light hit their target.

Holding back the screams, the Mazken ran for cover. "You are not...  
no one has such a skill!"

"I do!" Snorting like a wild animal, old feelings of evil seemed  
to come to mind. Those days of hunting the Black Mage, those days  
of hunting the men who killed her father. The same hatred she'd  
released in that old cave, a clone trapped deep under Victoria  
Island that contained her darker nature.

Now in close, she fired one more arrow, charged with a power that  
left the Seducer unable to walk. "My legs... what have you done to  
me?"

She did not answer, instead holding the bow as a club and swinging,  
bringing the weapon down hard, a crack audible just as it broke  
a rib.

Shoving Athena Pierce aside as the weakness wore off, the Mazken  
fended off the clubbing with her blade. "You fool! Sheogorath  
is too sympathetic to mortals! He allows them to live here, he  
protects them. Mehrunes Dagon knows that mortals should be enslaved  
and butchered. I shall serve a Daedric Prince that knows the  
superiority of the Daedra!"

The Ranger was caught off guard, reeling as the Mazken's fist  
bashed her head sideways. Barely holding onto that old blue bow,  
taking punch after punch, it was all the elf could do to summon  
one more arrow, blazing hot. Screaming as a sudden fire enveloped  
her body, the Seducer stumbled as an ethereal heat burned. She  
wasted no time, pulling that string and sending more arrows flying.  
the Mazken slumped to the ground, bleeding, but refusing to beg.  
"Kill me. It's what you came here for and it's what you want."

That hatred, that horrible hatred. No. It would not consume  
Athena Pierce again. Letting her mind clear itself, focused now, she  
looked down. "I wish I could simply let you live but I know if  
I tried to take you in you would escape, or resist... no. I have  
to kill you here. I was told of what you are. Your death will  
deliver you to your kind, waiting for you."

"But... no, please!"

"I wish I could but your crimes are too great. You do not regret those  
you murdered, you only regret that you will be punished for it."  
No more words, only a final arrow to the woman's heart.

Dropping her bow, Athena Pierce slumped to the ground and began to  
weep.

* * *

Pinnacle Rock sat on the southern tip of the island, a simple doorway  
that led to the underground sanctuary of the Dark Seducers. It was  
sacred ground for them, no one else was ever permitted entry, not even  
Sheogorath himself.

He didn't mind waiting outside. Old ruins were boring to look at  
anyway.

Doors swung open, a gathering of Mazken leading out one bound in  
chains. "You disappoint me, and now you have to pay. That's the rules."

"You're not even going to ask why I betrayed you?"

Laughing, tapping that old cane on the stone pathway, the Madgod  
shouted, "it wouldn't save you anyway, and besides, I'm sure you  
spilled it all to someone else who will tell me in due time. Now then,  
enjoy the view!"

She felt her god's touch, and felt the wind. She would not scream.  
The final sound she would make was the loud impact that echoed out  
over execution point as the Mazken's life ended on impact.

* * *

She sat in the dark cave, lit only by the amber, dirty and covered  
in blood. "Such a painful sight to see, a pretty one such as you all  
dirty and worn out from battle! BUT... you did the job."

"I did the job..."

Madness had begun to set in. Tapping the woman with his cane, a sudden  
wave of happiness set in. "I suppose I should have done that earlier.  
Oh well!"

"Huh? What..." Athena felt much better. whatever mixture of hatred and  
anguish had been swelling inside her mind was gone. "What did you do?"

Sitting on a stump, Sheogorath looked down at her with a smile. "The  
Isles, my dear, have an effect on people. Not that I will ever  
understand the mortal obsession with sanity, it's just not fun to be  
dull and boring and to follow all the rules. To live a life of work  
and no play, no imagination, I would rather be dead!

Standing up and brushing off some of the filth, the elf said, "that  
woman told me her intentions. She was going to abandon you and join  
someone named... Dagon?"

"Really now? Ungrateful little one, wasn't she? To betray and abandon  
me for that boring fool? Nothing a thousand foot fall couldn't fix!  
Come on, we'll get you back to New Sheoth so you can clean yourself  
up. or you can stay here and wallow in dirt, whichever you prefer!"

* * *

Meeting the elves of this land brought a certain familiarity to mind,  
of a people she had not seen in ages. If only these Altmer were not  
so smug, and the residents of the Isles not so unbalanced. This one,  
Earil, was quite odd. "You really are THAT old? Oh my... not even my  
people live that long! Only a few short centuries... not a thousand  
years... I must do something about this! I MUST!"

Without a word, Athena left the small shop and backed away. She may  
have been protected from the maddening influence of the land but  
its people were another matter. Conversing with them for too long  
could have ill effects, she suspected. If only she'd been paying  
attention, she could have avoided bumping into one of the furry  
feline creatures.

"Skooma? you have skooma, please?"

A Khajiit, she'd been told. One of the races of Mundus. He simply  
looked at her with no interest in who she was. "I- what?"

"Skooma? You have no skooma? Oh... Sheogorath is the skooma cat but he  
does not provide skooma. I must go now, and find skooma!"

* * *

"I like you," the Bosmer woman exclaimed. "You are new here and are  
probably not planning to stab me in the back. Probably. I shall keep  
an eye on you regardless." Syl, the ruler of Dementia, left Athena  
unsettled. "Sheogorath says you are from another world. How quaint.  
And you dress so plain." Syl looked at the elf's brown shirt and  
split green skirt, simple boots and bracelets. "You're a simple  
people. Not like the Altmer, clearly not. More like my own,  
in their simple lifestyles. Not that I care, I live a much more  
sophisticated life than they do."

Athena had been told of the elf races. The blue-skinned Dunmer, who  
she had seen few of. The Altmer, former rulers of Mundus and  
still arrogant. It was the Bosmer she felt any kinship with, the  
closest to her own people. Except for Syl, at any rate. Syl was  
clearly insane, and highly paranoid. A new ruler to the land,  
already convinced that everyone was conspiring to kill her. Somehow,  
she felt that Syl may someday be right, for this open display of  
paranoia may eventually be her downfall.

* * *

Thadon was different. Also a Bosmer, but unlike Athena's own people,  
quite short. It seemed all Bosmer males were. And it was obvious that  
this man was high on some sort of drug, a drug he seemed to be pushing  
onto his guest. "Felldew will show you things you could not have  
imagined. The sights it has shown me, the inspiration..."

"It is best I do not," the archer said kindly. "I am from a different  
world and do not know how it may affect me."

Smiling, Thadon understood. "That makes sense, I think. It leaves  
more for me, too." returning to his painting, Thadon seemed to ignore  
her presence.

* * *

"Interesting... if only you had some of this technology with you to  
show me!" Sheogorath had been fascinated by stories of machines and  
electronics. "To think, instant communication and devices that provide  
faster travel! I recall one of the races tried to develop such things,  
but they vanished. No one knows why... maybe the Divines didn't like  
it. Or maybe they blew themselves up! I suppose it doesn't really  
matter... although, if mortals had machines and advanced tools they  
might not need to worship gods anymore. A scary thought," the Madgod  
whined. "It would put me out of a job and leave me with no loyal  
followers!"

Tapping the pointed cane on the ground, a familiar archway opened once  
again. "You did your part, and I got to learn some about your world.  
You may go now."

"That is it?"

"Or you can stay," the Daedra replied. "Makes no difference to me."

Looking at the portal, the elf answered, "I should return home."

"Ah, the Black Mage. He sounds like quite the troublemaker. I have  
half a mind to travel to your world and have a word with him! But  
the other half of my mind would rather throw a party and I think I'll  
do that instead."

Before the bowmaster could leave, Haskill handed her a bound stack  
of books. "My Lord thought you might like to have these. Various books  
about the Daedra, Mundus and other topics."

Taking it, Athena simply said, "thank you." stepping into the light,  
once more sent to a familiar forest, the town of Henesys greeted her  
in the distance. Making her way home, Athena met a frantic Chief Stan  
by the front door.

"Athena Pierce! Where have you been?"

"I was-" she paused. "I was camping. I needed some time to myself,  
that is all."

A heavy sigh told her of the chief's frustration. "You've been gone  
almost a day and your door was unlocked!"

"Oh? I thought I locked up..." It was a lie, of course. She had not  
expected to be taken to another realm, but she was home and there was  
no reason to alarm anyone.

Shaking his head, Chief Stan muttered, "at least you're back."

Home now. An old, familiar home. That place she'd been to was strange,  
but Athena Pierce was happy to be back in familiar surroundings.  
she may have even written it off as an odd dream, except for these  
books. Placing them on an empty shelf, they would remain there,  
her little secret of another place beyond Maple World.


End file.
